University of Chicago Investigates Sexual Assault Incident

The University of Chicago reported the identification of a person of interest connected to a sexual assault at a fraternity house. The person was recognized through witness statements and video evidence shared with the Chicago Police Department. The individual identified is neither a student nor affiliated with the university and has been banned from campus.

According to sources, several people associated with the incident have also been barred, none of whom are students. As of Thursday morning, no arrests have been made.

The assault occurred at the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity house located at 5625 S. University Ave., near the west side of UChicago’s Main Quad in Hyde Park. The university’s report indicates that a 21-year-old woman was sexually assaulted at a frat party in a bathroom around 1:50 a.m. Sunday. She is not affiliated with the university and was unfamiliar with her attacker.

An intervention led to the suspect fleeing the scene. Surveillance footage captured an individual matching the suspect’s description escaping the frat house. A University of Chicago police officer on patrol assisted the victim, who was subsequently taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center.

Students shared the atmosphere during “rush season,” a period marked by frequent parties and events as fraternities and sororities recruit new members at UChicago.

A video circulating online shows a woman, identified as a friend of the victim, confronting a man she accuses of assaulting her friend. The friend alleges the victim was “drugged and taken away from us against her will” and describes seeing the victim incapacitated with the suspect removing her clothes.

The video appears to have been filmed near the Henry Crown Field House on 56th Street. CBS News Chicago is working to verify the identities of those captured in the footage and their involvement.

“Sexual violence on college campuses is a pervasive public health crisis,” commented Jillian Furey from Resilience, a rape crisis center in Chicago. She highlighted the victim’s challenges, including potentially encountering the perpetrator in court and facing disbelief, with only a 4% conviction rate.

Students express concern about fraternity safety and question their existence. Opinions are divided, with some worried about undeserved reputations and others frustrated by accountability gaps.

This incident adds to the discourse surrounding fraternity culture amid similar allegations at Cornell University’s Chi Phi fraternity house.

The National AEPi organization has told the UChicago chapter to suspend all activities during the investigation. They expressed sympathy for the victim, stating, “The chapter hurts for the person who was the victim in this incident.” Currently, no charges have been filed against the person of interest.